The Next Music Reality Show Could Involve Songwriting
Apparently America never lost its obsession with Fred Astaire, because no matter what else is going on in TV land, singing and dancing shows still seem to dominate the consciousness. American Idol refuses to die, and despite a ratings slump in recent years, it remains an American television staple, while The Voice is one of NBC’s and television’s strongest franchises. But now that singing and dancing shows have seemed to hit their critical mass point, producers are looking for new ways to exploit America’s obsession with song.
Now NBC, Maroon 5 frontman and The Voice judge Adam Levine, and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Dave Stewart are teaming up to work on a new reality TV show pilot called Songland The Hollywood Reporter says. The idea is to be the songwriter’s equivalent to The Voice and American Idol and show that “the songwriter is king in the music business.” I don’t know if to laugh, cry, or cheer.
The idea behind the show is to peel back the curtain of the music industry, and specifically the songwriter realm, to show how a song goes from page to stage. The show wants to feature “everyday people” and their compelling back stories as they try to pitch songs that eventually could become huge hits. Also involved in the show would be big-time producers and artists as a song goes through the pitch process.
One point of view is that making a competition out of songwriting is a gross malfeasance of the art form, while another is that it could expose the masses to where songs come from. The truth of the matter is many American consumers have no idea their favorite artists don’t write many of the songs they sing. Just how much “competition” the show would involve is yet to be seen, but the show would need some element of drama to keep viewers engaged.
So we’ll see. Another TV show, ABC’s Nashville, has done tremendous work explaining to everyday viewers how the in’s and out’s of the music business work, including highlighting many of the unfair and sometimes unscrupulous practices that put artists and songwriters at a disadvantage. But whether it makes for quality television is up for serious debate. With songwriters getting squeezed these days like never before—some estimates have the numbers of professional country songwriters depreciating by 80% since 2000—songwriting is quickly becoming an occupation that is only accessible to the very few.
March 21, 2015 @ 10:53 am
There’s already a songwriting contest reality show that’s a gross malfeasance of the art form. It’s called Music Row. And if you’d like to see what it was like there 10-15 years ago when songwriting was still a real job, check out ABC’s Nashville…
March 21, 2015 @ 11:43 am
” With songwriters getting squeezed these days like never before””some estimates have the numbers of professional country songwriters depreciating by 80% since 2000””songwriting is quickly becoming an occupation that is only accessible to the very few.”
Your last paragraph is generally accepted as the reason most country/pop songs are weak in terms of craft and freshness, sound unfinished , have so little originality or traditional ‘ country clever ” and ,are forgettable melodically and nondescript in terms of titles and hooks . This means that increasingly , the material tends to have no staying power past its artificially created chart-measured shelf life and diminishes long term sales/royalties for writers , publishers and labels .This issue , again , is something the labels and producers have not seen important enough to address as it undermines ( not UNDERLINES…underMINES ) their narrow short-term bottom line expectations AND they’ve found a way to circumnavigate the issue by finding and marketing to a less discerning ( caring ) listener in a more youthful demographic .
This proposed songwriter show COULD be a fascinating study of how songs are crafted based on :
-universal and timeless emotional appeal based in universal experience ,
-the importance of NOT being trendy lyrically as a way to ensure a lengthy lifespan
-the impact of STRONG melody based on a study of STRONG , enduring melodic works in the past ..
-the importance of arrangement-( instrumentation ,etc.. a drum machine or a drummer )
-the role of rhythm….
-the role of structure ( how many verses before a chorus ?…is there a bridge involved ? no bridge ? ..etc )
-whether a song ‘s sentiment is best delivered from a male or female perspective ..
-whether the lyric is strong or relies on ‘chanting ‘ to ensure participation by a listener
-and many other important aspectsd of creating/crafting and recording GREAT songs ( use of vowels on sustained notes , aliteration , imagery , repetition , etc..)
The chances of a songwriting show exploring anything deeper than Dick Clark’s Bandstand show ( ‘ I give it a 90 ..it has a good beat and I can dance to it’ ) are slim to none . The chances of a viewer actually caring enough about the above long enough to sustain a “contest” over weeks is even slimmer , I’d suggest .
Saying all of this …what a fascinating study and contest this would make were it to take the serious approach and NOT give listeners a button to push until they’ve watched the entire exploration and understand what makes a great song GREAT as opposed to a marketable but forgettable piece of trendy fluff .
March 21, 2015 @ 12:33 pm
The narrowing of the songwriting pool is most certainly a factor in the decline in quality of music, and one that is not discussed enough.
March 21, 2015 @ 12:56 pm
Isn’t the instrumental arrangement determined by the producer rather than the songwriter?
March 21, 2015 @ 1:39 pm
Arguably yes the arrangement is Eric. However with labels giving more and more control to the artist over his OWN contributions songwriting-wise ( for royalty /ownership of publishing reasons ) many more artists are heavily involved in producing their own songs . In the past , producers would sometimes use the ACTUAL tracks from the pro songwriter’s demo and replace the demo singer’s voice ( often the writer himself -see Tom Douglas ” The House That Built Me ” ) with the artist’s . The pro songwriter and demo studio were the creative factors in the arrangements . Other writers get right out of the way of the arrangements . Vince Gill , for instance NEVER does a song demo for his own material , apparently . He plays it acoustically for the session guys-the pro players themselves- and THEY write their own arrangement for their respective parts . With the generic-sounding mainstream country of today , the actual palette of REAL instruments has been narrowed down to guitars , bass , drums ..a token banjo perhaps..and the track is augmented by keyboard-triggered synth pads, drum loops/sample pads of sonic ‘effects” and various other nondescript ‘manufactured’ sounds rather than steel guitar , mandolin , fiddle , harmonica , banjo piano etc..All of these are elements that while arguabley giving the music a ” fresh” contemporary sound will conversely date a song quickly . Listen to 80’s Brit pop to illustrate . Country music never had to be concerned with dating itself that drastically while using mostly traditional instruments . Today’s country will sound like ” brit pop” in terms of its trendy sonic earmarks and likely date itself very quickly . Pro writers and pro producers who understand why a song LASTS would be more reluctant to rely so heavily on sonic trends to ensure that.
March 21, 2015 @ 11:46 am
This could be phenomenal, but IF it’s up to “the fans” as so many of those shows are, the only credential each song will need is “ooh, that’s catchy!”
American music listeners have me convinced that the scenario depicted in Idiocracy will likely happen at some point.
March 21, 2015 @ 12:22 pm
I just got ‘exposed” to the Sam Hunt song on radio ( Take Your Time ) . This is a great example , I think , of a ‘ song’ that would NEVER make the cut on a songwriting program built around REAL aspects of writing craft. Trendy phrases , chanting , weak melody , a generic voice with very little emotional impact…… and its been a long time since I heard a lyric with so many words and phrases take so long to say absolutely NOTHING . This is just a dreadful example of poorly written songs being forced upon naive listeners who care more about a singer’s image and trendy place in popular culture than real substance or art in a piece of music .This particular song also features an unremarkable vocal performance demonstrating little character and even less range . In comparison ( and in my not-so-humble opinion, Hunter Hayes , for example , is, I believe , a formidable vocalist deserving of a GREAT piece of songwriting , which unfortunately he has not yet found . I think there are , indeed , some solid vocal talents on mainstream country radio . Hunt is without question not one of them and , apparently, doesn’t have to be in order to be considered successful in his genre of choice .
March 21, 2015 @ 2:00 pm
Believe it or not, I find “Take Your Time” to be much less offensive than pretty much any bro-country song. The instrumental melody is rather pleasant and the song actually tells a story. I can understand why listeners would like it.
March 21, 2015 @ 5:43 pm
What is offensive is that a blatantly obvious pop/R&B song is dominating the country music charts.
March 21, 2015 @ 11:02 pm
No doubt. However, whereas bro-country was a lyrical embarrassment even by pop standards, Sam Hunt’s songs have exceeded the pop average in terms of songwriting. If nothing else, at least Sam Hunt may re-establish country music as the lyrically superior genre compared to pop (a low bar, but still an essential one when it comes to the judgment of critics).
March 22, 2015 @ 11:45 am
Seriously ? THIS is a great lyric ? This thing wanders around like a 14 year old boy with his hands in his pockets staring at the ground ..SO lacking in confidence it doesn’t even know WHAT to say next. And it spends nearly 4 minutes trying to say it -TRYING being the keyword .And there is more imagery in my comments above than the WHOLE song .
Sometimes its really important to LOOK at a lyric rather than listen to it or watch it as the case my be . Any 12-15 year old girl and her mom would watch Hunt , Bryan , FGL or even Bieber with the sound off and STILL vote this as a number one record . And it took 4-5 people to crank THIS out ?? Man …
take your time
I don’t know if you were looking at me or not
You probably smile like that all the time
And I don’t mean to bother you but
I couldn’t just walk by and not say hi
And I know your name
‘Cause everybody in here knows your name
And you’re not looking for anything right now
So I don’t wanna come on strong
But don’t get me wrong
Your eyes are so intimidating
My heart is pounding but
It’s just a conversation
No girl I’m not gonna waste it
You don’t know me
I don’t know you but I want to
And I don’t wanna steal your freedom
I don’t wanna change your mind
I don’t have to make you love me
I just want to take your time
I don’t wanna wreck your Friday
I ain’t gonna waste my lines
I don’t have to take your heart
I just wanna take your time
And I know it starts with hello
And the next thing you know you’re trying to be nice
And some guys getting too close
Trying to pick you up
Trying to get you drunk
And I’m sure one of your friends is about to come over here
‘Cause she’s supposed to save you from random guys
That talk too much and wanna stay too long
It’s the same old song and dance but I think you know it well
You could have rolled your eyes
Told me to go to hell
Could have walked away
But you’re still here
And I’m still here
Come on let’s see where it goes
I don’t wanna steal your freedom
I don’t wanna change your mind
I don’t have to make you love me
I just wanna take your time
I don’t have to meet your mother
We don’t have to cross that line
I don’t wanna steal your covers
I just wanna take your time
Woah, I don’t wanna go home with you
Woah, I just wanna be alone with you
I don’t wanna steal your freedom
I don’t wanna change your mind
I don’t have to make you love me
I just wanna take your time
And I don’t wanna blow your phone up
I just wanna blow your mind
I don’t have to take your heart
I just wanna take your time
No, I ain’t gotta call you baby
And I ain’t gotta call you mine
I don’t have to take your heart
March 22, 2015 @ 1:48 pm
Not calling it a great lyric, just an okay lyric. Many men who have difficulties in attracting women will find the lack of confidence relatable.
March 22, 2015 @ 3:33 pm
Eric;
To your point below: “Lack of confidence”? This song is him saying, “I don’t want a relationship. I want to make you cum.”
That’s what the song seems to be saying. I don’t see a lack of confidence there.
March 22, 2015 @ 9:29 pm
The theme seems to be that neither sex nor a relationship is important. One of the lines, for example, is “We don’t have to cross that line”.
The goal of the narrator is to just have some company at the bar. I think we all can relate to that.
March 21, 2015 @ 1:29 pm
“The truth of the matter is many American consumers have no idea their favorite artists don”™t write many of the songs they sing”
One could change “many of the songs they sing” to “any of the songs they sing” and it would be true for much of the music world.
I am even surprised to look at songwriting credits for some “artists” and see their name is only listed maybe once or twice on an entire album as a co-writer (with 4 other co-writers usually). Any I would guess that many of the co-write credits are because they happened to be in the room at the time but did not actually contribute to the process.
March 21, 2015 @ 1:55 pm
“Any I would guess that many of the co-write credits are because they happened to be in the room at the time but did not actually contribute to the process. ”
Often the ” artist ‘ may bring the seed of an idea that he feels is good enough to be on the album . If it is included , the label deal may include a percentage of the publishing royalty going from the writer to the label .
As I understand the new paradigm , labels NEED every dollar they can squeeze from the artist they’ve invested in and are more likely to give the artist cuts to ensure more $$ for the label royalty-wise. Hence , the quality of the songwriting diminishes when cuts from up -and -coming young artist who, in most cases ,don’t have the life experience and/or haven’t taken the time to hone the writing craft before being featured as writers on their own cuts .
THIS is how the scenario has been presented to me by writers and industry folk and I’m only passing on my understanding . As such I stand and am open to being corrected and duly informed otherwise . I only know that as a writer who is in contact with other writers , this seems to be a similar experience and the dwindling numbers of pro writers who actually make a living writing in Nashville seems to bear out this situation .
Any struggling writer has probably noticed the increase in ” Writer’s festivals” ,’ guitar pulls’ , writer’s retreats , song evaluation services , pitch services etc..which are conducted and orchestrated by a pro writer or a group of pro writers to generate income once generated by their writing royalties or long-term staff writing deals . These deals seem to be fewer and further between than ever .
March 22, 2015 @ 12:55 pm
The new Kanye West song ‘All Day’ lists 7 producers and 20 writers.
Wonder how many solo writes (whether by the performer or an outside writer) have gone #1 on the country chart in the last five years or so.
March 22, 2015 @ 2:17 pm
Not sure I made myself clear . Used to be that the pro songwriters wrote and the artist rarely did . NOW the labels only want artists who can write ( or think they can write ) for royalty reasons. Almost all of these new young artists are teamed with several other young writers who can try to polish their incomplete ideas BUT the amateur artist /writer still gets that input on their record and the label makes $$ from publishing etc. AND the ( usually ) less- than- stellar write becomes part of the album and often a single , for the same reason … NOT because its necessarily a GREAT write . We need more skilled , seasoned , ( veteran ? ) song writers/crafters involved if we want the quality to improve …..not a lot of young artist with no ‘experience’ in their tunes outside of what they heard in the LAST radio song . Check out the Hunt’s lyric above . It reads like it was written by a pre-pubescent young boy ….not a 30 -something wannabe country star
March 22, 2015 @ 2:38 pm
I followed you I was just pointing out that in that past there were great artists that wrote their own songs solo. Just about every hit Haggard had was a written by him solo and Dolly Parton had many as well. Willie Nelson had many, many solo writes that he recorded first and he obviously wanted for himself before they became hits for others.
So I agree with you for the most part but I think it goes too far to say that only ‘professional’ songwriters should be writing for the performer to sing. The entire goal should be to get the best songs and if the performer can bring that then that is no less acceptable even if it’s done for less than artistic reasons.
March 22, 2015 @ 2:50 pm
“So I agree with you for the most part but I think it goes too far to say that only ”˜professional”™ songwriters should be writing for the performer to sing ”
Agreed …lots of young writers have promise …..but very few are THERE yet and you only need to look at contemporary country lyrics to see that . They have no substance , they lack fresh perspective , ear-catching phrases and memorable melodies. Those young writers need to pay some dues …live a littel and learn the craft of writing a GREAT song .
But there’s a reason Nashville’s professional writers and staff writers are dwindling in numbers and it isn’t just the lack of sales . Its the lack of cuts they get as Nashville’s labels give over to a younger and younger demographic who aren’t so demanding of a GREAT song and can use something by one of their artist /writers instead ( $$$ ) . Polish it up a little , make it sound contemporary ( loud guitars n drums …rap-type phrasing , bro -lyric etc.. ) and a young listener is none-the -wiser . Ask someone who grew up listening to those timeless classics by Merle , Willie and Dolly what they think of the Sam Hunt lyric above – someone who has some perspective . I think we both know what the answer would be .
March 22, 2015 @ 3:04 pm
But one of the interesting things is that a lot of the non performer guys that are getting a lot of songs cut are not kids. Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson, Rodney Clawson even Shane McAnally are all late thirties to maybe in Akins case fifties. So just because they have been around and have experience and lived life doesn’t guarantee better songs.
March 22, 2015 @ 4:23 pm
“So just because they have been around and have experience and lived life doesn”™t guarantee better songs.”
It certainly doesn’t …I agree, Scotty . Most REAL country music fans would agree that the writers you mentioned are perhaps writing some of the WORST songs BUT these are the kinds of songs the genre and the DEMOGRAPHIC are now conditioned to . GIMME THAT GIRL by Joe Nichol ?….Reba’s new single ?
If you have a hit movie , no matter how good or bad it is , you’ll get calls to write / direct /star in another hit movie AS LONG AS IT MADE MONEY .
Do you think the FGL songs are good songs ? TAre they timelss , well thought out and substance-driven lyrically ?
I’m not suggesting that because you’ve been writing for a long time that you must surely be a GREAT writer . I’m pointing out that if you look at the writers of the great songs from the best writers in the past and the writers of what are CONSIDERED great today , you’ll see the difference .
March 22, 2015 @ 5:40 pm
A lot more of these songs are written by one or two people than you think. Credits rarely tell the real story. Song credits are used as currency. You can pay off favors, get sexual favors, etc with it. At best, the 3rd, 4th, 5th writers listed suggested a one word change or something. Producers often take a writing credit whether they contributed or not. There are many ways to get writing credits, and very few of them involve writing.
You can bet that when Kanye releases a song that has the following lyrics: “Ooh ooh ooh ahhhh” over a droning E chord, that only one of the 35 listed writers had anything to do with it. And that one person is much more likey to be named North than Kanye.
As someone mentioned earlier above, half the credits come down to being in the room. Period.
March 22, 2015 @ 10:33 pm
“Song credits are used as currency.”
Very true Sam..My son’s band just finished a CD where the producer was in on the songwriting credits on EVERY song…yet the songs were ALL completed nearly a year before th band went into the studio. . Yet another reason why stuff is done ” in house” rather than looking for the BEST outside writes .More leverage and flexibility when it comes to points .
March 22, 2015 @ 10:39 pm
Did the producer edit the songs before they were recorded?
March 21, 2015 @ 1:58 pm
Why does that matter? George Jones wrote almost none of his own songs. Waylon Jennings wrote or co-wrote only 1 or 2 songs per album in his heyday in the 1970s.
Country music has a long tradition of combining the best songwriters with the best vocalists.
March 21, 2015 @ 2:02 pm
The point EXACTLY Eric. Leave songwriting to the pros and you’ll get far better songs .
March 21, 2015 @ 2:29 pm
In the very least, I wish that they could stop calling them “reality shows”. There isn’t a scintilla of reality in the damn things. They’re just scripted shows with especially awful scripts.
March 22, 2015 @ 9:21 am
Albert’s comments are right on. In the late ’70s, it was common knowledge regardless whether or not you had a finished product (song), in order to get a cut with a top artist, you were going to give up half-writers, and unless your publishing house was a real strong one, one-half publishing, too. I even wrote an “inside” song one time about co-writers, in which one of the lines was “Me and Billy wrote a song today. But he’s mad at me, because I won’t tell him what it is.” Corporate America has put too many individuals in layers, through which it’s necessary to penetrate, in order to succeed. Considering the thousands of contestants who are auditioned for voice and musical skills, on leading reality music shows, the unbridled gall of music leaders to think it’s necessary to identify ONLY singer/songwriters, as vehicles to become successes, speaks to the stupidity of these corporate shills. It’s like trying to find that one in a billion person who has both talents. Morons!
March 22, 2015 @ 11:08 am
Country music is lacking of good songs.
March 23, 2015 @ 2:35 pm
Yep, they just don’t write em like they used too. Those songwriters of Nashville past never put out any turds like today’s young bucks 😉
“Elvira”
Elvira, Elvira, my heart’s on fire, for Elvira.
Eyes that look like heaven, lips like cherry wine
That girl can so not make my little light shine
I get a funny feelin’ up and down my spine
‘Cause I know that my Elvira’s mine.
So I”™m singin’
Elvira, Elvira, my heart’s on fire, for Elvira
Giddy Up, Oom Poppa Oom Poppa Mow Mow
Giddy Up, Oom Poppa Oom Poppa Mow Mow
High-o Silver, away.
Tonight I’m gonna meet her at the Hungry House Cafe
I’m gonna give her all the love I can, yes I am.
She’s gonna jump and holler
Cause I”™ve saved up my last two dollars
We’re gonna search and find that preacher man.
And I”™m singin”™
Elvira, Elvira, my heart’s on fire, for Elvira
Giddy Up, Oom Poppa Oom Poppa Mow Mow
Giddy Up, Oom Poppa Oom Poppa Mow Mow
High-o Silver, away.
Elvira, Elvira, my heart’s on fire, for Elvira [fading]
March 24, 2015 @ 11:28 am
Have they already asked the obscure songwriter Jason Isbell to be part of the show?